The 1960s
Britain since 1945
The 1960s were a period of significant social change, and the decade earned a name of its own: the Swinging Sixties. It is remembered first for what people wore, watched and listened to, as British fashion, cinema and popular music all expanded together, with groups such as The Beatles and The Rolling Stones at the front of it. Households were becoming better off too, and many families bought cars and other consumer goods for the first time.
Parliament reached into private life as well during these years. The decade brought changes to the law on divorce, and on abortion in England, Wales and Scotland, though the law did not change in Northern Ireland, so the reforms did not reach every part of the UK.
What to remember
| The 1960s | the Swinging Sixties A decade of significant social change, and the name the handbook gives it. |
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| The Swinging Sixties | growth in British fashion, cinema and popular music People also started to become better off, and many bought cars and other consumer goods. |
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| The popular music of the Swinging Sixties | groups such as The Beatles and The Rolling Stones Both are named in the handbook as examples of the decade's popular music. |
| The liberalisation of social law in the 1960s | changes to the law on divorce, and on abortion in England, Wales and Scotland The abortion change covered England, Wales and Scotland, not Northern Ireland. |
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Everything in Britain since 1945or the whole course, from the beginning